help my family find a town (Cheyenne, Casper: real estate, rentals, health insurance)

[jeffandjess]

We are from Michigan but soon (when GM files BK) my husband will lose his job. He has been a parts manager at a Chevy dealership for 20 years. I have worked in admin/accounting/tax prep/and owned my own childcare. We have a 2 year old son and a 5 year old daughter. Neither my husband nor I have degrees. I want to go to school at some point but its not super important.

our needs
Jobs-for one or both of us sufficient to support our family. must have benefits (health insurance is the MOST important)
community-safe and relaxed
activities-hunting, fishing, hiking, we do all of these as a family as much as possible


Thanks so much...I have started applying for jobs so hopefully we will be able to narrow it down.

ALso, do you think places like the state will hire someone from out of state??

TIA

Jess, Jeff, Lorelei, and Maddox

[midwesterner7]

Have you tried the Wyoming at Work website? Also, I'd try Gillette, Green River, Rock Springs, Pinedale, Casper. I've heard they hire guys on the spot. Only problem is housing. If there is anything, it's expensive. Cheyenne doesn't have much except for state employment and the airbase. Housing is really expensive there also. The nice things are no state taxes and more animals than people if you can handle the wind, ice and snow. Also, it's miles between towns, sometimes several miles to major shopping and healthcare.

[StealthRabbit]

I would get on the stick and apply in advance. County Seat towns with gov employees, a Jr College, and have affordable housing would be where I would start (for long term livability) . Energy towns (with more jobs) may be in transition before long. Look for diverse economy (multiple jobs).

My personal preference (in order) Your mileage may vary.
Sheridan / Buffalo
Powell / Cody
Lovell
Afton
Laramie
Newcastle
Torrington

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by midwesterner7

Have you tried the Wyoming at Work website? Also, I'd try Gillette, Green River, Rock Springs, Pinedale, Casper. I've heard they hire guys on the spot. Only problem is housing. If there is anything, it's expensive. Cheyenne doesn't have much except for state employment and the airbase. Housing is really expensive there also. The nice things are no state taxes and more animals than people if you can handle the wind, ice and snow. Also, it's miles between towns, sometimes several miles to major shopping and healthcare.

With the current economy, parts manager type jobs are rather few and far between. The entire state of Wyoming has fewer total new car dealerships than a metro area in the Eastern USA ... 15 GM line dealerships, 4 Honda, 4 Subaru ... for example. Most of the GM dealerships are multi-line ... in some locations, the entire GM line at one dealership. Some cover several lines, with imports and ATV's! There's a few multi-point dealerships, such as Fremont and Halladay ... with multiple franchises and outlets.

Keep in mind that the total population base here is only 500,000 people in the entire state. With a much larger population base in close by markets, such as SLC or Denver, many folks head out of Wyoming to buy their new cars in more competitive markets.

The "boom town" days of hiring on the spot in the extractive industries are rapidly coming to a close for right now. With the low price for oil, and with coal development slowing down due to lessening demand ... many outfits are just holding their crews for now. Development work has just about come to a standstill. There's been a lot of news lately about regional planned coal fired power plants being cancelled, and expansion of several plants (already approved) has been postponed, probably indefinitely ... given the current administration's "cap and trade" avowal to destroy the coal industry as well as the enviro approach to "green energy" sources. Affordable Rental/lease housing remains in tight supply in those areas, however. It's not uncommon to see space rental alone for a mobile home approach rates that are higher than you're used to seeing for rent in MI for a nice house.

There's not a lot of civilian employment at Warren AFB that isn't tied to retired military personnel, except for jobs such as a cook, server, bartender, or barber. Those are part-time jobs, and the pay scale is under $10/hr, with no benefits. With the large number of military retirees in the Cheyenne area seeking to supplement their retirement income ... or to simply keep busy ... the labor market is rather low priced. Jobs at the $12/hr price point are generally well filled, such as the labor pool for the two big regional warehouses (Lowes and Sam's Club), and that's a top wage for many retailers in the area.

"miles between towns, sometimes several miles to major shopping and healthcare" ... really, I'm shocked about this revelation. It's more like 60 to 100 miles between most major towns, and in the more remote areas of the state, can be even further. You may even measure your commute to major towns in hours, if the roads are clear. Of course, you won't be seeing car dealerships in those remote areas. Again, keep in mind that Wyoming's two biggest "cities" ... Casper and Cheyenne each only have a population of just around 50,000. Many towns on the map around here have a population of well under 5,000 people, and there's many incorporated towns with only a few blocks of residential development and a population of 100 or so. It's not uncommon to see towns of a few hundred people with no commercial activity at all, just a post office and maybe a gas station/c-store.

At this point, with the announced layoffs and closures of businesses in the area, I would be using the internet resources as much as possible to locate job interviews/potential employment in the area before moving to Wyoming at this time. With a job opportunity in hand, then you're still looking for affordable housing and that may make accepting a job offer somewhat difficult if you can't find a place to stay.

As mentioned, try the Wyoming at Work website, or the state and local gov't jobs ... including school transportation districts, which all have parts departments. You'll be far more likely to have paid family benefits with gov't jobs than private employers. In my experience, out-of-state job applicants have a fair shot at getting hired for many jobs except in rural towns/counties ... where there's a lot of "good old boy" networking going on among the locals who are trying to protect the folks already there. Unless you have an absolutely needed job skill which can't otherwise be filled locally, you will be at a disadvantage in getting hired ... or in staying employed.

Good luck in your relocation.

[jeffandjess]

I appreciate all the info, My husband has no need to continue work in the automotive sector. He will do anything he can to keep his family afloat. There are NO jobs here. None. We have both been looking for a very very long time locally.
Just as an example at the dealership that my husband works at they placed an ad for what is known losely as a "wash kid" usually a college aged individual to wash/detail the cars. It pays minimum wage. They had 60 applicants the first day it was in the paper, of people of all ages, some with Master's degress.

If GM files BK it will double michigans unemployment (12%+)right now initially and then 9-12 businesses in the area (of all types not just automotive) would likely close within a year. Its really bleak.

[demicat78]

My husband and I just started to decide if we may move out of state. We live in Michigan, his job is attached to automotive and he is pretty much laid off. I work in Commercial Real Estate doing bookkeeping, but with this economy nothing is selling, so I am barely working. We have pretty much agreed to give up on Michigan. We have two boys, 5 and 7 and my oldest has Autism but attends regular schools (with accommodations) so we have to consider school district. I am really interested in pursuing a move to Wyoming...maybe before the end of the summer. I could also use some information on what different cities to look at.

[GEORGIAINMT]

My hubby & I moved from MT to Gillette in August. I had lived in Wyoming except for the last 14 years in MT and I'm delighted to be back! Although it is true that the oil industry has slacked off and there were some hiring freezes at some mines, Gillette is probably still your best bet as far as a place to move to in Wyoming if your husband is willing to do almost any kind of work. It seems that in just the past couple of weeks the help wanted ads have really picked up again in the paper. There were 3 mines who had openings listed in yesterday's paper. And of course there are a lot of other jobs as well. TONS of people have moved here from Michigan since the economy there pooped out. I'm a special ed case manager for the school district and we've seen a whole lot of kids from Michigan (not just special ed, but in general) move into the district. The people from there who I've met seem to be pretty happy here so far. Pay is good, even for service industry jobs. One "negative" about Gillette is that rentals are still pretty hard to find (although not like it was 6 months ago) and rent is high. We still own our home in MT so have been renting here but have decided to buy a manufactured home here. We are getting a 3 br 2ba with a 2 car garage on a small lot in a new manufactured neighborhood for around $140K, so our payment will be less than rent and we'll have a lot more room. That is something you might want to consider if you do come here. Gillette has changed a lot over the years. The city has done a lot to make it a very nice town and the people are great here. It's very family oriented with what is considered a lot for kids to do by Wyoming standards. Our pop. is just over 30,000 now. If you want more info on jobs, housing, the town itself, etc. you can do a search for Gillette on here or if you have specific questions feel free to DM me, or just ask on the forum and there are lots of folks who are willing to help! Best wishes to all of you who are considering a move to Wyoming!

[GEORGIAINMT]

Oh, I forgot to mention that you may want to look into opening your own day care if you were to come to a place like Gillette. I've heard that it's very hard to find day care providers here. Of course you know you'd have to go through the whole licensing process. It may be hard also if you are in a rental. But it's just an idea!

[GEORGIAINMT]

Originally Posted by demicat78

My husband and I just started to decide if we may move out of state. We live in Michigan, his job is attached to automotive and he is pretty much laid off. I work in Commercial Real Estate doing bookkeeping, but with this economy nothing is selling, so I am barely working. We have pretty much agreed to give up on Michigan. We have two boys, 5 and 7 and my oldest has Autism but attends regular schools (with accommodations) so we have to consider school district. I am really interested in pursuing a move to Wyoming...maybe before the end of the summer. I could also use some information on what different cities to look at.

Besides everything else I said about Gillette, we have a wonderful school district. A lot of people who have children on the Autism spectrum have moved here because of the reputation of the special ed programs available here. We have a WONDERFUL Autism Spectrum Program Specialist who works with district personnel. She is a wealth of information & so helpful. Campbell County School District is a great district to work for as well. I am so happy to be here in a district where all types of children and staff are so valued

[cactusjuice67]

Have been following your posts. Wish I had read this one first. you seem to be more forthcoming and honest in this one. We are all scared. the unemployment rate is high everywhere. People around us everywhere losing their jobs then their homes. I know you are scared. we all are. so many of us in the same positon as you. I deleted the rest of my post. In the same boat as you. my advice in these hard times? go to reno with your family.